Baby Shower For Miss Julie!

When we found out that we were having another bouncing bundle of pink,

I totally didn't expect to have a baby shower.

I figured if we had a boy then we would need some rough 'n tough items,

but I literally saved everything from Isa's babyhood.

Of course my family and friends

couldn't resist another pink baby shower though!

My mom and one of her best friends, the Original Martha truly outdid themselves.

The invites and boot favors were perfect for Julie's vintage cowgirl theme!

We had it at Dear Lizzie's in Alpine.

This place is every big girl's fantasy.

A frilly, sweet boutique with a quaint little tea room.

We spent the morning dining on tasty morsels and laughing over the trials and tribulations of motherhood. And then I was bombarded by the most thoughtful and adorable gifts!

I'm so lucky that my girls and I are surrounded by so much love and support!

((And no, I didn't get a single picture of myself or friends..

but I will be hopefully getting mom's photos soon and will post them!))

ACP Design Team Challenge - July #2

I love tussie mussies!

I bought a ton of vintage yarn cones years ago to make some.

They are still in the shipping box.

I drool over all the styles!

From shabby chic Victorian to the holiday styles,

but I had yet to make one.

Well enough is enough.

The 2nd July ACP design team challenge

was to create an item that included either black or white, and 2 other colors.

Since I'm heavily preparing for the Halloween season, I went

with: orange, grey, and black.

*And of course adding an ACP charm!*

And because I forget what I've bought in the past,

rather than break into my pristine shipping box full of yarn cones,

I opened a modern chipboard cone from Darice.

It came together really easy.

I have an area in my inventory room right now piled with

Halloween ribbons, trims,papers, and more.

However, I could not for the life of me find the wood balls I know bought years

ago to fill the gap at the bottom of the cone.

Luckily I had some awesome large grey glass beads

that fit perfectly in the hole with some good ol' glue

Love it, love it, love it!

I'll be adding to my Etsy store later this week.

It's a perfect decoration for the home

or as an extra special gift container for the wickedly sweet goblin in your life.

The Experiment

The Problem:

A family that is "teched in and tuned out"

Kiddo - addicted to videos

Mom - addicted to the Internet

Dad - not addicted, but gets sucked in to TV and/or internet like there is a force field

The Hypothesis:

Removing the TV, Videos, Internet, etc for 1 day a week will improve

the family connection and decrease the addiction on the other days.

The Results:

I checked emails and Etsy (my work) before either Thomas or Kiddo woke up. I was on for less than 10 minutes total. And yes I Twittered and Facebooked.

On Saturday we did not plop Isa down to watch "Dora" while we made breakfast and did our morning routine. Kiddo asked for it once or twice, but the response that the TV was broken seemed to suffice.

Thomas did go on the internet in a non-approved time (before Isa wakes, Isa's nap, and bedtime), but he jumped off right after getting the phone number he needed.

The Star Wars force field did not suck him in.

We had a fabulous time at Thomas' work carnival in the morning.

In general, Isa loved the undivided attention and did not seem to miss her videos.

I checked emails and Etsy again for about 10 minutes while Isa napped.

We did not sit Isa down to relax with a video before bed.

I read her a large pile of books and Thomas got her ready for bed.

We did awesome!

There were plenty of times I could have snuck on the Internet without notice, but I didn't.

There were times that Isabelle got bored,

but rather than a quick TV fix she found something to do.

I felt less guilt as a parent.

*****

We're hoping to do this 1 day/week for the foreseeable future.

We are going to reduce our cable service to the bare min and HBO

(come on, let's be realistic - I NEED HBO!)

Today, Isabelle was beezerko to watch some cartoons, but

our total TV time was at least 1/2 of what was the norm.

I didn't check my laptop every free second I had.

I feel good about this.

Technology is not the enemy, but it can quickly and easily consume us.

It breaks my heart to know there were times that Isa was tuned it to a video

and both Thomas & I were sucked into our personal laptops.

Our time together is something we should never take for granted.

It's important to balance the power of technology

with the power of a REAL connection.

If you're reading this and telling yourself that it sounds great,

but your family couldn't survive tech free for even a day..

I say to you, that your family may have the most to gain from it.

You won't die.

You're children won't die.

It will be okay.

It's 24 hours.

Breaking News - A Maternity Sewing Pattern That Is Not Hideous!

My baby shower is just around the corner and I really wanted to make my dress.

I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars

(which is what it takes for a super cute maternity dress)

and I didn't want to wear a black Target dress

(which is ALL they seem to ever have.. )

I know, I know.. you don't believe me.

You've gone to the sewing store and looked at the pattern catalogs for maternity clothes,

and what did you find?

A forgotten and cobwebbed section.

I know.

I've been there.

And the few patterns that still exist are convinced you want to spend your days feeling more like a blobless entity. Really, how many boxy tops and leggings do we'll all need?!?

Thank the Heavens we live in the era of blogs.

I found that Kwik Sew has a few patterns that are not totally without style.

(P.S. I can NOT find the blog that inspired me..if it sounds like yours - let me know!)

So I decided to sew my own!

My ultra generous mom bought me the super cute cotton fabric - which was no bargain deal..

but alas you get what you pay for in the fabric world.

And this weekend I got it done.

About 4 hours of work, about 4 yards of fabric (oy vay!), and a zipper.

I love it!

Kwik Sew writes fabulous patterns!

They go the extra step and write out the details of what makes the difference between looking homemade and handcrafted - and yes there is a difference :D

Can't wait to show it off at my baby shower!!

(and yes there will be pics of me in it..lol)

If you been putting off sewing clothes, I recommend trying a Kwik Sew patterns.

I've worked with almost every name brand, and I'm most impressed with them.

Lenz Monzters Will Eat You Up!

Have trouble getting the kiddos attention at the photo shoots?

Are the kiddos afraid of your BIG camera?

Tired of searching in your camera bag for a toy?

My Lenz Monzter will ease those kiddo struggles!

It fits over your lens.

There is a squeaker in their tongues.

It's bright and camouflages your camera without obstruction.

It's totally custom and handcrafted.

It's available!

Holiday Monzters will make their debut this month!

Maternity Leave on Etsy - Dates to Know

MATERNITY LEAVE NOTES

* I will not be taking custom orders from September 20-October 15th

* The shop will be closed from October 1st-October 15th

* I will be taking a very limited amount of custom orders from October 15th-January 1st, 2011

!! Please keep this in mind and order your holiday items early!!

Catching Up

Oh my.. Time does fly!

I can hardly believe it's been months since I've posted.

Well.. I had 3 blogs and think that overwhelmed me.

I am now starting my 7 month of pregnancy and that definitely overwhelmed me.

I've decided to condense all my blogs into this one.

I'll tag each post so if you want to skip to Etsy, cooking, or family

you will be able to quickly.

In brief here's the news from the last couple of months..

Isabelle

She is doing awesome! She is a chatterbox. Loves to sing and will be starting dance classes in August. Isabelle is very excited about the upcoming birth of her sister, Julie.

We had 2 summer vacations in Park City, 2 Thomas the Train rides,

a visit to WA for cousin Maggie's Confirmation, a visit from Nana and Myron,

and visits from Gaga & Gigi Bird.

She was sick for about 3 weeks this past month, but

all the blood tests revealed is that she had some sort of virus.

Right now I can hear her giggling in Gaga's lap, so all is well :D

Julie (Juliette)

I'm starting my 7 month of pregnancy.

It has not been an easy pregnancy.

I won't go into the details of every crazy detail, but let's just say I'm eager to meet my angel and have my body get back into some sort of normalcy.

We are bouncing back and forth on the name Julie or Juliette.

Our angel is named after one of the most life loving women I have

ever met that was taken from our lives much too young.

We are starting work on her nursery. Lots of Riley Blake cowgirl fabric and vintage western.

It is sure to be envied by all the other rodeo queens!

And no Thomas is not disappointed to be blessed with another beautiful, loving little girl.

Cooking Contests

I've won somewhere around 11 contests in the 2 1/2 months I've been entering.

The biggest prizes have been a check for $250, a $400 Le Creuset pot, 2 Magic Bullets,

and lots more fun things.

Thomas has even gotten into the action and started entering grilled recipes.

We have our fingers crossed he'll win a grill this summer.

I've taken the last couple week off from entering. During Isabelle's 3 week sick stint, we didn't know what was wrong and it was impossible for me to focus on anything but my angel.

Etsy and Other Crafts

Etsy is slow during the summer so I have been building up my inventory.

There are currently lots of baby cocoons and hats that are ready to ship.

I'm also really enjoying getting back into sewing, and have been adding a lot of new type of items.

I will stop taking custom orders mid-September and take a maternity leave for the first 2 weeks of October. From mid-October to January I will be taking a very limited amount of custom work, but I will add a lot of ready-2-ship items.

I'm doing a lot of craft challenges right now and have started entering quilt contests.

I'm still creating designs for A Charming Place. I was also finalist for Vanna's Choice yarn contest. I'm currently working on another Lion Brand yarn entry.

Personal News

I was nominated and accepted a director position for the Junior League of Salt Lake City. I'm still doing sub work at the local libraries.

Thomas has really gotten back into mountain biking since our last trip to Park City. He is busy moving his home office, since that room is to be Julie's nursery.

Wooh.. Lots of info.

I'm hoping to be blogging more now that I have 1 blog to care for..

but we'll see...

I'm on Twitter/Facebook daily and post weekly to my Flickr account

if you would like more pics!

Life is what happens when you think you'll have time to blog.....